It is, of course, pertinent to look to the future by first examining thepast. In the case of library buildings, for whatever user group, the librarymodel of the 19th and 20th centuries was predominantly a statement about theparent organisation, whether a local or national government building, auniversity library or other organisation's information and resourcecentre. Libraries in general also served the two main purposes of bookborrowing and private study, with the whole structure centred on bookstorage, book circulation and one or more staffed desks where interactionwith library staff could take place.

Peter Gisolfi, quoted above, is a fine example of an architect specialisingin the design of library buildings in the 21st century, who has also takenthe time to write about this and offer insights about the way libraries aretransforming themselves as spaces for their communities. His book oncollaborative design (Gisolfi, 2018) offers ten illustrated case studiesfrom the USA (five each from public libraries and academic libraries), eachof which has three articles from those involved, respectively outlining theplanning process, the design (by Gisolfi himself) and the impact of thelibrary build.

The eminent writer Ken Worpole (2013) writes compellingly on the developmentof library buildings and notes interestingly the contribution ofarchitecture and design to the library. He comments on the view of VictorHugo in the 19th century that the library was replacing the cathedral asprint replaces information encapsulated in stone and glass in cathedralbuildings.